


I'll search the universe (until I find you again)

by plantago



Category: VIXX
Genre: Aliens, Alternate Universe - Road Trip, Gen, Hakyeon is an alien, Jaehwan and Sanghyuk are Taekwoon and Hakyeon's grandkids, NASA, Taekwoon is from South Dakota, astrophysicist Taekwoon!, no Wonshik or Hongbin I'm sorrryyyy, not political, science terms are explained in the endnotes haha, space, takes place in America because I'm familiar with the government
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-24 10:27:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20356942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plantago/pseuds/plantago
Summary: Jung Taekwoon is a gifted storyteller, a devoted husband, and a loving grandfather. He loves nothing more than those quiet days where he can sit with his grandchildren and a cup of tea and tell tales of far away lands and amazing creatures. Today, like many days, he sits down in his old rocking chair, Jaehwan and Sanghyuk hunkered down on the floor in front of him, and weaves a tale about Taekwoon, a young, aspiring astrophysicist, and Hakyeon, an alien with a cliche request. What happens when the two meet? What happens when they meet again? And again? Taekwoon will get around to answering these questions- that is if Jaehwan doesn't get bored and ask to play hide-and-seek first.





	I'll search the universe (until I find you again)

“Grandpa, tell us a story,” begs one of the little boys sitting at Taekwoon’s feet. Sanghyuk is the youngest and smallest of Taekwoon’s grandchildren, but Taekwoon has a feeling that by the time his little Hyukkie has reached adulthood, he’ll tower over his older brothers.

Jaehwan, Sanghyuk’s oldest brother, claps his hands excitedly, “Yeah, grandpa! Tell us about the superheroes again! Vis- Vit- Vi-”

“Ahh, you mean VIXX, Jaehwanie?” Taekwoon clarifies. “Well,” he begins the oft-repeated story, “in a world much like our own, but not exactly like ours, there was once a group of superheroes called VIXX who worked together to rid their world of the evil forces that conspired against them. The group was made up of Hakyeon- the brave, fire breathing leader; Taekwoon- Hakyeon’s handsome second in command, who could-”

“Nooo,” Sanghyuk whines, cutting Taekwoon off. “I wanna hear a different story!”

“Well, I wanna hear about VIXX!” Jaehwan retorts angrily.

Taekwoon can feel a fight brewing between the two boys, and hurries to intervene. “Jaehwanie, we’ve already heard the VIXX story twice today, and Sanghyuk was the one who asked for a story this time. We’ll hear a new story now, ok?”

Jaehwan (cutely) pouts, but agrees that his grandfather makes a fair point.

Satisfied with his negotiation skills, Taekwoon leans back in his rocking chair and lets out a thoughtful sigh. “Let’s see,” he muses out loud, “do you want to hear about the biggest fish I ever caught while on a fishing trip?” Sanghyuk and Jaehwan shake their heads. “Another time then,” Taekwoon acquiesces. He thinks for a few more moments before a mischievous smile slowly makes its way onto his face. “How about the story of Halabeojie’s and I’s first kiss?”

“No!” Jaehwan and Sanghyuk squeal.

“Kissing’s gross, Grandpa, ew!” Jaehwan exclaims, his features twisted into a grimace.

Taekwoon chuckles. “Just you wait, Jaehwanie, just you wait.”

Jaehwan sticks out his tongue and scrunches his eyebrows in disgust.

“Alright, alright,” Taekwoon says, laughter in his voice. “Well, have I ever told you boys the story of the time I was arrested?”

Both boys perk up at that. “Arrested?!” Jaehwan yells, at the same time as Sanghyuk demands, “tell us!”

Taekwoon laughs in amusement. Motioning for his grandchildren to settle down, he begins his story.

* * *

It was a warm, clear night, right at the start of summer vacation. The sun had gone down a few hours earlier, and the sky was full of bright stars. Taekwoon- who was only 14 at the time, but who already had his heart set on becoming an astrophysicist- was laying on his back in the soft grass, observing the June constellations. His favourite constellation, Leo, was in it’s last few days of visibility for the year, so Taekwoon was taking time to appreciate its beauty before not being able to see it for the next nine months. The night slowly progressed, and Taekwoon’s eyelids grew heavier and heavier with each passing minute.

Just as his eyes slipped shut against his will for the nth time, something unusually bright caught Taekwoon’s attention. Curiously, he glanced over to Ophiuchus, the constellation closest to where he had seen the bright light, and immediately jolted awake. Ophiuchus was a constellation that didn’t normally have any noticeably bright stars. Even Ras Alhague, the constellation’s brightest star, wasn’t especially brilliant compared to the other stars in the Milky Way. Taekwoon frantically located RS Ophiuchi within the constellation in disbelieving awe. The recurrent nova star was usually very dim, and only became explosively bright* about every 20 years. From Taekwoon’s research, he knew that this phenomenon had last occurred 11 years ago. And yet- he rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t seeing things- the RS was exploding. Now. This was a groundbreaking scientific discovery!

Taekwoon shot to his feet and slowly backed away, keeping his eyes on the sky. He just _had_ to get his camera to take a picture of the star.

After trashing his bedroom in his haste to find the equipment- his sisters thought it was fun to use the camera for silly selfies and then hide it from him- he ran back outside. He quickly spotted the star, outshining all the others- but something about it had changed in the past five minutes. Had the star gotten… bigger? Biting his lip in concern, Taekwoon used the zoom feature on his camera to get a better look at the star. It was curiously… blue. A star within his own galaxy shouldn’t be displaying blueshift**, Taekwoon thought nervously. The Andromeda Galaxy, yes, but a star in the Milky Way? No way.

Taekwoon took a picture of the disquieting star, and slowly lowered the camera from his face. RS seemed to have expanded further. Taekwoon’s breath caught in his throat. RS got bigger. Taekwoon thought about calling NASA. RS was growing at an alarming rate. It wasn’t long before RS was blocking out the rest of Ophiuchus. A few minutes later, it obscured Hercules, Scorpius, and Libra from view as well.

Panic began to well up in Taekwoon’s chest. RS Ophiuchi was going to crash into the earth and everyone was going to die. He was absolutely certain. Tears dripped from Taekwoon’s eyes as he thought about his parents, his sisters, his dog. He wanted to go inside and hide under his blankets, but he couldn’t tear his gaze from the approaching star.

A strong wind picked up suddenly, its force snapping tree branches and throwing Taekwoon to the ground. He crawled to the porch and clung to the wooden railing. He was going to die. This was going to be the end.

The thing that he loved the most was going to kill him.

Taekwoon wept, terrified sobs ripping from his throat as his clothes and hair were pulled harshly by the wind. Looking up at the star, which was almost blindingly bright by now, Taekwoon saw something curious. It seemed to have breached the atmosphere, but it was very small. Too small to actually be a star. Taekwoon freed a hand to hastily wipe his eyes. He squinted up at the thing, trying to make out what it was. A meteor? No. A star? Definitely not. It was some sort of space junk, Taekwoon realized with a gasp. Space junk was certainly better for the fate of the planet than if it had been a star, but still- _it was hurtling straight towards him_. The thing was now at an altitude lower than that of an airplane. Taekwoon screamed. The thing plunged down toward the Earth. The noise was deafening, but Taekwoon was too terrified to let go of the railing and cover his ears. The last thing he saw before squeezing his eyes shut was the old oak tree in his backyard being ripped from the ground.

Taekwoon’s mouth tasted like dirt. His body ached all over, and his eyes burned, even though they were closed. He pried his eyelids apart and looked around. Everything around him looked exactly the same as it had at sunset. Taekwoon murmured a perplexed “what?” as he took in the tidy yard, his mother’s perfect flower bed, and the upright oak tree. Had he imagined the entire terrifying ordeal? Had he been dreaming this whole time? His camera lay a few feet away, and Taekwoon suddenly remembered the picture he had taken in the beginning, when he had still thought that the thing was a star. If it had been real, the evidence would still be there. Taekwoon had to know. He slowly, painfully pushed himself from the ground. He stumbled a bit, dizzy, unsteady on his feet, and teetered over to the camera. He picked it up and turned it on, clicking through the recent pictures. Sister, sister, sisters, dog, Taekwoon’s bed, sister, star. Star. Although Taekwoon’s camera was home to thousands of star pictures (he was in the habit of snapshotting any interesting celestial bodies), Taekwoon could tell right away that this “star” was his space thing. Looking at the photo, Taekwoon found it hard to believe that he had actually thought that the thing was a star. It was far to big and bright and blue.

Taekwoon stared intently at the picture, a question quickly coming together in his mind and making its way past his lips. “What happened to you?” Taekwoon whispered, glancing at the yard again, as though he could have missed a smouldering hunk of metal the first time around.

Taekwoon shivered. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before, and frankly, he was finding it to be too much. It was time, he decided, to head in for the night. With another quick scan of his family’s property, he walked around the house to reach the door.

He smelled it before he saw it. Smoke. It’s soft scent tickling his nose. And then when he turned around, he saw it- a great plume of thick vapour, rising from the forest. Hand stilled on the door knob, Taekwoon froze, a battle waging against itself in his head- ‘go to bed!’ one side shouted. ‘See what it is!’ the other side screamed. The battle soon ended as the decision was made. Taekwoon turned the handle and pushed inside.

Five minutes later he was back on the doorstep with hiking boots and a backpack containing a hastily thrown together wilderness explorer kit- a flashlight, notebook and pen, his camera, a first aid kit, some granola bars, and water. Taekwoon took a deep, stabilizing breath, and made his way to the line of trees that bordered his house.

The forest was cool and quiet. Taekwoon was used to being in the wooded area in the day time, but it was like a whole new and frightening planet at night. The silence was loud in its totality. Darkness pressed at him from all angles, broken only by the thin beam of Taekwoon’s flashlight. Trees towered above him imposingly, and overgrown grasses grabbed at his feet. Taekwoon pushed his fear aside and kept walking. What good scientist would leave a new discovery undiscovered? None.

A strange light began filtering through the trees, and Taekwoon shivered with anticipation. He drew nearer to the light. Five steps closer, ten steps. He passed the last few trees standing between him and the thing, eyes widening as he saw his “star”.

It was lying in a deep crater, branches, dirt, and small plants strewn across the area. The space thing was long and narrow and grey, with one dark, circular window. It was smoking and sparking dangerously. Taekwoon stepped back. He walked around the thing, capsule, maybe, checking it out. Digging his camera from his backpack, he snapped a few pictures. His breath was coming in short, excited gasps, and an amazed smile graced his face. Gosh, he was a real scientist, now. He had seen a real thing fall to Earth from space, and had made a discovery, and was going to study it, and then he would- Taekwoon stopped. Stopped walking, stopped thinking, and possibly even stopped breathing. Because there, about ten feet away from the capsule, laid a body.

The body belonged to a creature- it looked human like, though Taekwoon could immediately tell that this creature was not human. Inspecting the being’s facial features, Taekwoon concluded that the being was male, and in his early to mid teens. In human standards, at least. Taekwoon became excited all over again as he realized that he- Jung Taekwoon, eighth grade space enthusiast- had been the one to discover alien life. He grinned and moved around in a little celebratory dance. Then the alien twitched and softly moaned, and Taekwoon nearly peed his pants in fright. The alien didn’t seem to be conscious though, which Taekwoon took as a sign to look closer. He felt around in his bag for the first aid kit, forgoing the camera despite his excitement, and knelt down next to the alien.

“Hello, Mr. Alien,” Taekwoon said, very softly. Just because he was talking to it- him?- didn’t mean that he wanted him to wake up. “I’m Taekwoon. You look like you’re hurt, huh?” Taekwoon swiped an antibacterial pad over a bleeding gash on the alien’s forehead. “I’m just gonna help you out a bit, ok?” He neatly stuck Transformer bandaids on the alien’s scraped up hands, marveling at the long, long fingers and lack of fingernails.

Taekwoon was just reaching over the alien to unbutton its dark, bloody jacket to look for more injuries, when he felt one of those cold, strong hands wrap around his wrist. Taekwoon jolted and involuntarily screamed, jerking his arm harshly. The alien didn’t let go. Taekwoon turned to look at the alien’s face in fear- right in time to see his eyes snap open and focus on Taekwoon. Taekwoon barely managed to swallow down another scream. The alien’s eyes were bright yellow, with slitted pupils, like a cat’s. Taekwoon felt faint.

“H-hi, Mr. Alien,” he whispered, breathing rapidly. “P-please don’t h-hurt me, I’m j-just trying to-to help you.”

The alien sat up slowly. Taekwoon heaved a violent, terrified sob, tears spilling over his cheeks, as he looked away. Gosh, he had been right earlier. He was going to be killed tonight by this space thing- star, space junk, alien, it didn’t matter- he was a goner. He felt something touch his wet face and shuddered. The alien was going to eat him. He was going to die. He was going to be eaten. He hadn’t even said good night to his parents that evening and now he was going to get eaten and die and his parents would be so heart broken and how would his sisters-

Taekwoon’s panicked thoughts were immediately forgotten as a blissful calm came over him.

“Do not be scared,” the alien said in a soft, heavily accented voice. “I will not hurt you. I would like you to bring me to the ruler of your land.”

Taekwoon let out a choked laugh, his fear rushing back for a moment, before subsiding once again. “You w-want me to take you t-to my leader?” he asked incredulously. “Gosh, did I suddenly land in a comic book?”

The alien cocked his head. “Earth being,” he said, eyes intense on Taekwoon’s, “I would like you to bring me to the ruler of your land.”

Taekwoon had the sudden realization that that would be a great idea. He would love to take this alien to- the president? That would probably do for the alien, right?

“Ok,” he said, trying to figure out why he hadn’t had the idea to introduce the alien to the president. It was like, the most obvious thing for him to do in this situation. Sleepiness was no longer a problem as Taekwoon acknowledged that taking Mr. Alien to meet the president was his life’s purpose. He stood up, energised and eager to get going. “Come on, Sir,” he said, unable, for some reason, to break eye contact with the alien, “I would like to bring you to the president of my country.”

“Wait.” the alien commanded. Taekwoon froze. “I am unable to journey tonight. My body will heal in the hours of darkness, and we will leave in the light.”

Taekwoon fidgeted. “So, I should go home and then come back tomorrow morning to take you?”

The alien seemed to consider this. “Yes,” he said finally, “your body requires rest. Go to your home for the night, and return as does the sun.”

Taekwoon blinked. “Ok,” he replied. Of course he required rest. What was he even thinking earlier, that he could go without sleep. Suddenly, Taekwoon was exhausted. “I’ll be back soon,” he promised. Turning around, he clumsily made his way back out of the forest.

The moment he left the cover of the trees behind, Taekwoon stumbled to a halt. “What just happened?” he wondered out loud. “Did I just agree to take an _alien_ to meet the president?” Taekwoon was horrified. “No,” he whispered, “no, no, no. I can’t do that. What did that alien guy _do_ to me? _Mind control_?” He began walking towards his house, goosebumps rising on his skin. His pace quickly increased to a sprint as intense shivers ran down his spine, and he felt the acute sensation of being _observed_. Once inside his house, Taekwoon shut the door, locking it behind him. Making his way to his room, he made sure that the windows were locked before crawling into bed. “Maybe I’ll wake up in the morning and all of this will have been a dream.”

The next morning, Taekwoon woke to a sore body, a rumbling stomach, and an inexplicable need to go to the forest. “Man, that weird dream must have really messed me up, huh?” he said quietly to himself. He shook his head quickly to rid himself of the lingering remains of his dream, and went about his morning routine.

By the time breakfast was over, Taekwoon’s urge to visit the forest was getting quite annoying, but he had dishes to wash and a floor to sweep. By noon, Taekwoon could hardly focus on anything other than the forest. He would find himself tuning out his video game to stare out a window. He would leave his room to use the bathroom and end up standing just outside the door. Taekwoon had a _burning need_ to go to the forest. At two in the afternoon, Taekwoon gave up. Flinging his backpack over his shoulders and shoving his feet into his boots, Taekwoon sprinted out the door and into the woods ignoring his mother’s concerned shout.

The moment he entered the forest, the burning subsided. Taekwoon sighed in relief. He took a few steps deeper into the woods, carefully climbing over a fallen tree. He had just managed to straddle the tree trunk when the world around him suddenly seemed to shift and blur. Holding tightly the bark in front of him, Taekwoon fought fiercely to not vomit. When the blurring stopped, Taekwoon, still pushing down his bout of nausea, looked up. The alien was right in front of him. Taekwoon screamed and fell from the tree.

When he opened his eyes again, the forest was darker. He must have passed out. He touched the back of his head and found it tender and damp. He took his hand away from his head and found it bloody. “Crap,” he quietly swore, wiping his hand on his already dirty pants. He prepared himself to stand up to get back home, hoping that his slight dizziness wouldn’t affect his motor skills too much. He launched himself into a crouch and swayed, eyelids fluttering and breath heaving with exertion. So maybe standing would be out of the question, at least for now. He was about to drop back to the ground when he saw a hand extend in front of him.

Taekwoon was already reaching towards the hand when he realized that it had strangely long fingers and no nails. He looked up to see who the hand belonged to. The alien was in front of him. Taekwoon gasped and snatched his hand away, prepared for a hard fall back to the ground, but in between one moment and the next, he was up on his feet. Taekwoon looked around wildly- how had he gotten up? Looking around wildly is not the best thing to do with a probable concussion, Taekwoon realized as he pitched forwards. He was caught by a pair of strong arms.

“Earth being,” it was the alien. Taekwoon whimpered in fear.

“Earth being. I will not hurt you. I will help you. You are hurt, yes?”

Taekwoon nodded and whispered a shaky yes. The alien gently turned taekwoon around so that they faced each other. Taekwoon avoided eye contact. He would not let the alien mind control him again.

“You are scared of me,” the alien said quietly, seeming sad, “Please do not be scared.”

“You used mind control on me!” Taekwoon said angrily. “Why shouldn’t I be scared?”

The alien’s voice shook almost undetectably as he replied, “I was trying to help you. You were scared.”

“Yeah, well aliens are scary, especially if they use mind control,” Taekwoon retorted, still looking away from the alien’s face.

“I am sorry,” the alien said. “Please look at me. I am not scary and I will not use the Influence again. I am sorry.”

Taekwoon took a deep breath. Why did he feel bad for making the alien upset? He wasn’t the one going around mind controlling people. He shook his head at his confusing, and frankly unwelcome, emotions and looked up. “No mind control.”

“None,” the alien agreed, a hopeful smile on his face. After a slight pause, he said “I am Cha Hakyeon. I am from the planet Jelljune.”

“I’m Jung Taekwoon. I’m from Earth,” Taekwoon responded.

“Hello Taekwoon!” Hakyeon chirped. He seemed pleased to have exchanged names. “May I heal your injury?”

“Sure, I guess,” Taekwoon said hesitantly.

Hakyeon stepped closer to Taekwoon and put his hand on the back of Taekwoon’s head. In a matter of seconds, Hakyeon’s body was glowing. Taekwoon gaped.

“I am done!” Hakyeon announced, removing his hand. “We should leave now and commence our journey to the location of your leader.”

“Wait, what?” Taekwoon exclaimed, wide eyed. “Why would we do that?”

“We must,” Hakyeon explained. “You promised me in the last darkness that you would bring me; do you remember?”

“Well yeah, I remember, but I’m pretty sure you were mind controlling me at the time, so it doesn’t count,” Taekwoon rebutted.

“Promises are binding, Taekwoon. Even if you were Influenced, you still made a promise. You promised to return to the forest this morning, but you did not. Because you did not keep your promise, you felt pain. That is why you returned, yes? You must keep promises.”

“I can’t just go without asking my parents, and they’ll probably say no.”

“Let us ask your parents then,” Haekeon said in slight exasperation, “I have a feeling that they will agree about the utmost importance of your task.”

Taekwoon clenched his fists and resisted the urge to scream in frustration. “Fine,” he said curtly, turning to leave the forest.

Sneaking an alien into the house was easier than Taekwoon would have imagined. The only other person inside was Taekwoon’s mother, who had called out a cheery greeting when she heard the door open, but otherwise didn’t attempt to investigate her son’s peculiar behaviour. Hakyeon had attempted to respond to her, but Taekwoon had swiftly clamped a hand over the alien’s mouth and dragged him up the stairs. In Taekwoon’s room, Hakyeon was given strict instructions not to touch anything, which he promptly ignored.

“What is this?” he asked, carrying over Taekwoon’s solar system model.

Taekwoon puffed his chest in pride. “It’s my solar system,” he said, “I made it last year for the science fair and won first place.”

“This resembles my craft!” Hakyeon exclaimed sometime later, holding a model spaceship.

Taekwoon looked up from messily throwing clothes into an old suitcase. “Yeah, I guess it does.”

Taekwoon had just managed to fasten his unwieldy luggage when Hakyeon gasped.

“Taekwoon,” he said softly.

Taekwoon turned around to see Hakyeon gazing reverently at his Star Wall- the wall in his room that was dedicated to displaying as many of the pictures that Taekwoon had taken of the night sky that it could fit. “Do you like it?” Taekwoon asked, smiling at the alien.

“Taekwoon,” Hakyeon repeated, misty-eyed, “this is my home.”

Taekwoon joined Hakyeon by the wall. Hakyeon gently touched a slightly grainy picture of a bright, starry sky. “There. Jelljune,” he said. Taekwoon didn’t miss the slight tremble in Hakyeon’s voice. Taekwoon looked at the alien, and realized for the first time how the alien might be feeling- he was alone and hurt on a new planet, and his spaceship- his only means of leaving- had been destroyed. Taekwoon reached up and gently pulled the photograph from the wall. Hakyeon watched him curiously.

“Here,” Taekwoon said, holding the picture out to Hakyeon, “I want you to have it.”

“Really?” Hakyeon asked, tears threatening to overflow his eyes.

“Yes,” Taekwoon assured quietly. Hakyeon took the picture with trembling hands.

“Thank you, Taekwoon.”

“It’s no problem, I can just put a new picture there,” Taekwoon said. The two stood in unmoving silence for a perfect minute before Taekwoon’s door suddenly opened.

“Woonie,” Taekwoon’s mother chirped, walking in, “which kind of kimchi do you want to have tonight? I was thinking radish, but dad said cucumber would be nice for a hot night like- oh! Hello there! I didn’t know that Taekwoon was having a friend over. What’s your name, sweetheart? Will you be staying for dinner?”

“Mom,” Taekwoon began.

“Hello, Taekwoon’s mother,” Hakyeon interrupted, “I am Hakyeon. Taekwoon and I must soon leave on a journey of utmost importance to meet your… present?” Hakyeon glanced over at Taekwoon questioningly.

“President,” Taekwoon corrected, his face feeling strangely warm.

“Ah yes, we must meet your president. Do you give Taekwoon permission to accompany me?” Honestly, Taekwoon didn’t even think that Hakyeon would need to use mind control on his mom. Hakyeon’s smile was so earnest and charming, and Taekwoon’s mom had always been concerned for Taekwoon’s lack of friends.

Hakyeon and Taekwoon’s mother held eye contact for a few seconds before Taekwoon’s mom broke into a blinding smile. “Of course! Will you be here for dinner? Do you want to borrow the car?”

“Radish kimchi would be lovely,” Hakyeon said by way of answer. He smiled politely at Mrs. Jung and threw Taekwoon a wink.

“Remember that you’re not allowed to drive after ten!” Taekwoon’s dad called as Taekwoon ducked into the driver’s seat. Taekwoon shouted his affirmative and turned the key in the ignition. As the car started down the Jung’s long driveway, Taekwoon glanced over at Hakyeon, who was hopelessly tangled up in his seatbelt. Hakyeon flashed Taekwoon a sheepish grin. Taekwoon smiled back and helped Hakyeon put the seatbelt on properly.

After two hours of driving, Taekwoon pulled over to the side of the road. “It’s ten o’clock,” he explained, “I can’t drive anymore.”

“This is reasonable,” Hakyeon said, “rest; I shall keep us safe.”

Taekwoon scoffed. “I’m 14, Hakyeon, not four. I don’t go to sleep at ten o’clock.”

Hakyeon, looking slightly taken aback, nodded. “Of course, Taekwoon. What would you rather partake in than rest?”

“Well, you are the first alien I’ve ever met. Tell me about yourself. What’s your favourite color?”

Hakyeon laughed, but happily answered Taekwoon’s (many) questions.

Taekwoon opened his eyes to the bluest of blue skies and a sweet melody falling from Hakyeon’s lips. “Happy morning!” Hakyeon greeted him when Taekwoon sat up.

Taekwoon smiled. “Good morning, Hakyeon.”

They drove until Taekwoon’s stomach rumbled loudly. Taekwoon ate some of the food that his mother had packed him, and Hakyeon disappeared into the woods bordering the road. When he returned to the car 15 minutes later, his clothes- borrowed from Taekwoon’s ‘to grow into’ pile- were flecked with blood and his eyes seemed to glow brighter.

The next few days flew by. Hours were filled with driving, talking to Hakyeon, singing along to the radio together, and learning more about space than he ever could have imagined. Taekwoon loved every second of it.

He had always had his family and the stars as his friends, never understanding his parents’ concern over his lack of interest in other kids his age, but he was beginning to get it. If this was friendship, he regretted missing out for the past 14 years.

As they passed through West Virginia, Taekwoon felt a pang of sadness. Would Hakyeon leave him after they met the president? Surely Hakyeon felt this friendship, too, right? Might he stay on Earth to be with Taekwoon? Taekwoon pushed these thoughts out of his head and focused on the road ahead. He had to get them to the White House first.

The big day arrived sooner than Taekwoon wanted it to. It seemed like one moment they were leaving Taekwoon’s home, Taekwoon’s family waving them off with cheery smiles, and in the next moment they were here, standing at the White House gates. Taekwoon sweated with anxiety. What if this didn’t work out? They’d probably get arrested. Oh gosh, what kind of impact would that have on Taekwoon’s future? He’d never be allowed to become an astrophysicist, much less a reputable one.

“Hakyeon,” Taekwoon managed through rapid breaths, “could you mind control me to not be so nervous?”

Hakyeon smiled at Taekwoon kindly. “You do not have to join me for this portion of the journey. Besides, you told me never to use the Influence on you.”

“Of course I’ll join you, Yeonie. Please Influence me.”

Hakyeon sighed fondly. “Look into my eyes, Taekwoon.”

The two met eyes, and Taekwoon instantly felt calmness wash over him. He nodded at Hakyeon. “Are you ready?”

Hakyeon took a deep breath. Held it for what felt like forever. Released it. “I am worried, Taekwoon. I do not wish harm to befall you. Should you insist on joining me, I shan’t stop you, but-” he stopped and took a shaky breath, “I will protect you with my life.”

“I know,” Taekwoon said softly, gazing into the alien’s eyes, “I know.”

Infiltrating the presidential home was only slightly more difficult than sneaking into Taekwoon’s own house. With Hakyeon’s Influence, they were able to convince any security guards that they ran into that they were just lost members of a tourist group. They were given helpful directions to bathrooms, the library, and- most importantly- the Oval Office. As they tiptoed through empty halls, Taekwoon shivered. This was it. They were about to break into the Oval Office. Hakyeon would meet the president like he wanted to. Taekwoon could get arrested. Wait- Hakyeon would meet the president… Taekwoon stopped in his tracks as he realized that Hakyeon probably didn’t want to meet with the leader of the free world just to shake hands. Was he going to deliver news of an oncoming alien attack? Of the planet’s imminent destruction? Heck, he might use his Influence to take control of the entire country. Taekwoon stumbled into a wall for support. What had he done? If something terrible happened, it would all be his fault. Hakyeon, further down the hall, looked back at Taekwoon.

“Will you be remaining there?” he whispered.

Unable to speak, Taekwoon just nodded.

“Good. Stay safe,” Hakyeon said, a look of intense fondness in his eye. He turned away and continued down the hall.

Taekwoon swallowed with difficulty as tears blurred his vision. “I’m sorry, Yeonie” he whispered, almost too quiet for even himself to hear. His breathing picked up its pace. His heart thundered. Beads of sweat dripped off his chin. His clammy hand gripped his phone tightly as shaking fingers jabbed at the same numbers that were on display around the building. Taekwoon haltingly brought his phone up to his face and spoke into the mouthpiece.

“H-hello? Is this security?”

White House security did not believe Taekwoon’s account of his time with the alien. The fact that Hakyeon was nowhere to be found didn’t help Taekwoon’s case. He was briefly taken into custody and questioned, before being sent back home with a prescription for a mental evaluation and therapy.

Years passed and therapy ended- there wasn’t much to be done, as the evaluation hadn’t revealed any abnormalities, and Taekwoon was absolutely convinced of Hakyeon’s existence. Taekwoon graduated college with high honours and even a few friends. He achieved his dream job working with NASA and rented a cozy apartment. He was happy- really. Just… there was always a slight feeling of something _missing_, like a night sky without stars. His mother claimed that romance was the elusive aspect in his life, but Taekwoon knew that that wasn’t it. His heart didn’t yearn for true love, it wanted… something else. Maybe… slow nights and long conversations. Bright eyes and an open heart that felt like home. Taekwoon rolled his eyes and laughed at himself. He hadn’t seen Hakyeon since before he had called security all those years ago. It was time to move on. Hakyeon wasn’t coming back.

Taekwoon had finally, _finally_ convinced himself to stop waiting for Hakyeon’s return (or so he was trying to convince himself, with questionable amounts of success. The picture he had taken of the two of them a few days into their “road trip” that resided in his wallet said otherwise) when his favourite coffee shop closed after the owner passed away. Begrudgingly, he ventured to the relatively new shop further down the road. He had heard great reviews of the place- Starry Beans, it was called- but had been too loyal to his old shop to visit. The outside of the cafe was simple- clean brick walls and sweet-smelling flowers in round planters. Taekwoon walked in and let the warm atmosphere and scent of coffee wash over him. He had to admit, Starry Beans seemed like a pretty nice place. There was even a star wall, he noted with a pleased smile. Taekwoon walked up to the register and called out to get the attention of the sole employee, who had his back to the counter as he removed a tray of pastries from the oven.

“Oh sorry, I didn’t hear you come in,” said a strangely familiar voice, “I’ll be with you in a moment.”

The tray was placed on a cooling rack next to the oven, and the employee turned around, dusting flour from his long fingered hands. Taekwoon’s dark eyes met the man’s yellow eyes with their slightly slitted pupils. A wave of surprised euphoria washed over Taekwoon and a grin split his face.

“I’ve been waiting to meet you again, Taekwoon,” the man said, smile on his face and in his voice.

“I've waited for you, too,” Taekwoon managed, feeling his eyes well up. “I'm sorry for breaking my promise, Hakyeon.”

Hakyeon's eyes grew soft. "All is forgiven, Taekwoon. I understand how you must have felt."

"I never forgot you," Taekwoon admitted. "I always hoped to meet you again."

"And I the same, Taekwoon," Hakeyon said fondly.

Reaching over the counter top, he took Taekwoon’s hand in his own, squeezing it gently as his eyes crinkled with happiness. Taekwoon felt a subtle shift in the universe- the missing pieces of his life finally falling into place. He squeezed Hakyeon’s hand back and laughed. His sky had finally found its stars.

* * *

“Ahhh Grandpa, why do all of your stories end with you falling in love with Halabeoji?” Jaehwan whines, “Love is gross!”

Taekwoon laughs at his oldest grandchild’s disgusted face. “How could I not fall in love with Halabeojie, Jaehwannie? He’s my favouritest person in the whole wide world.”

Jaehwan sticks out his tongue as his other grandfather walks into the room.

“Halabeojie!” Sanghyuk screeches- Taekwoon makes a mental note to teach the boy about inside voices- “Are you really an alien? Grandpa said that you’re an alien from space and you went to the White House!”

“Did he?” Hakyeon asks, scooping Sanghyuk up into his arms, “I don’t know about aliens, but I would definitely classify myself as a professional cookie baker. Come on, Jaehwannie and Woonie, I have a fresh batch in the kitchen.”

While the boys messily devour their cookies, Hakyeon turns to Taekwoon, “An alien going to the White House, Taekwoon? Do I even want to know?”

Taekwoon leans into Hakyeon’s space, a flirtatious smile on his face. “Hey, I thought the concept suited you. It wasn’t too far of a stretch either- my love for you is already out of this world.”

“Oh my gosh, you sap, just kiss me,” Hakyeon demands, a love-struck grin dominating his features.

Taekwoon gasps. “In front of the kids?”

Hakyeon rolls his eyes and pulls Taekwoon to him.

With Hakyeon’s lips on his, Jaehwan is groaning in the background, and Sanghyuk’s delighted laughter, Taekwoon smiles. Everything is perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> *The recurrent nova is produced by a white dwarf star and a red giant together in a binary system. About every 20 years, enough material from the red giant builds up on the surface of the white dwarf to produce a thermonuclear explosion.  
**A feature of the Doppler Effect. Objects approaching the viewer seem blue (blueshift) and objects moving away seem red (redshift). The stars within a galaxy are not moving toward or away from each other. Most galaxies, however, are moving away from each other. Except for the Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxy, which are moving towards each other.
> 
> I've been working on this story for a while, and I'm really proud of it! It's actually based off a dream that I had, but I made the ending happier, haha.   
Thank you for reading! :)


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